Physical Field-Assisted Osmotic Dehydration Technology and Its Application in Fruit and Vegetable Drying

Osmotic dehydration is a non-thermal processing technology that can promote the dehydration of fruits and vegetables while maintaining their sensory and functional properties and extending the shelf life. However, the main disadvantage of osmotic dehydration technology is the low mass transfer efficiency. Physical field assisted osmotic dehydration technology can effectively improve the efficiency of osmotic dehydration. Physical field assisted osmotic dehydration technology includes ultrasonic, gamma ray, pulsed electric field, vacuum and high hydrostatic pressure assisted osmotic dehydration. Physical field assisted osmotic dehydration technologies and their application in fruits and vegetables are studied in this paper and some new research progresses and the problems are discussed. The mechanism and factors affecting mass transfer efficiency of osmotic dehydration, physical field assisted osmotic dehydration technology, dynamic model and the application of physical field assisted osmotic dehydration in fruit and vegetable drying are discussed.